Prairie Queen Missing Middle Neighborhood

Omaha, Nebraska

Urban Village Development was an experienced infill developer with an ambitious plan to build a walkable, sustainable community on an empty parcel of land in Nebraska. Opticos designed a vibrant, one-of-a-kind New Urbanist neighborhood that now serves as an inspiring model for walkable urban architecture—not just for the Omaha and Lincoln regions, but for the country as a whole.

Housing

Building Types

Commercial, Retail or Office

Flex spaces that can grow into retail and commercial use as market demand matures over time

Our client: A visionary who needed help

Jerry Reimer of Urban Village Development has a long and successful history of urban infill developments, but he wanted to do something innovative and dynamic at a new site near Papillion, Nebraska. The large plot of land was a clean slate, with a lake nearby and some rambling hills (by Nebraska standards, at least). He needed a designer’s eye to help him bring his bold plan to reality.

The Prairie Queen plan

Opticos responded to Reimer’s call with a detailed master plan for the site, dubbed Prairie Queen. The plan encompasses fifty verdant acres of Missing Middle Housing, including mansion apartments, fourplexes, and townhouses, all elegantly placed around a refined network of narrow streets and blocks. Emphasis is placed on walkability first, including thoughtful ways to “park” the site minimally with alley loading and on-street parking, which helps maintain a tranquil vibe and keeps cars from defining the character of the neighborhood. Other features include a “center” to come: a series of flexible spaces that can grow into retail and commercial use as market demand matures over time. As part of the entitlement package, Opticos provided a Form-Based Code to replace the existing zoning.

Mass customization

Key to the project is the MM-Interconnect™ system, which presents a suite of simple unit plans that can be deployed across sites to create buildings with character and vibrant neighborhoods of Missing Middle Housing. As part of the system and in order to create efficiencies, cost savings, and deliver projects at attainable price points, six unit plans are standardized with the intention that the unit plans can be assembled intelligently into a variety of building types, which in turn can be placed together to create neighborhoods with a lot of variety and character.

A new model for walkable living

The neighborhood will be significant in several ways. Nationally, Prairie Queen is the first walkable, New Urbanist neighborhood of its kind, developed only with Missing Middle Housing types. The community will serve as a much-needed model for the Omaha and Lincoln regions, whose previous attempts at New Urbanism have fallen short on implementation quality. The project will also define a new type and quality of multifamily housing in the country.

The project is being entitled through a Mixed-Use Development Agreement (MUDA) with the City of Papillion, Nebraska. Scheduled to come out of the ground in 2018, it will be a model for people around the country to visit and learn from.

“Opticos worked closely with us to design a beautiful, diverse neighborhood that I couldn’t even imagine when I first walked the site with Dan. It’s been a true pleasure working with them to fulfill my vision.”